Before Your First Visit to Buena Vista: A Practical Checklist (ID, Dress, What Not to Bring)
Your first visit goes smoothly when you show up with the right ID, the right clothing, and as little as possible in your pockets. Use this checklist to avoid delays or getting turned away at the door.
Start with your visiting application. You need to submit a copy of a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID, and the address on that ID must match what you put on the application. Mismatched addresses can get your application denied.
On visit day, approved visitors 18 and older must show valid picture ID before being admitted. Bring your actual physical ID. Photocopies and digital IDs are not accepted, and the address still needs to match your application.
Dress code is one of the most common reasons people get turned away. Keep it simple and conservative. Upper-body clothing cannot expose cleavage, your back, or your midriff (even when sitting or bending). Thin spaghetti-strap tops are not allowed. Pants must be worn as intended (no sagging), and skirts or dresses need to reach at least knee-length while standing. Shorts of any kind and cargo pants are not permitted. You must wear shoes.
Dress code quick flag: Solid gray, solid green, solid orange, solid white, solid yellow, and camouflage are not permitted. Clothing that resembles offender attire, or has adornments that could be used as a weapon, is also not allowed.
Jewelry Electronics Contraband
- ✓ A wedding ring set
- ✓ One religious medallion
- ✓ Medical alert badges
Leave portable electronics at home or locked in your vehicle. Cell phones, tablets, smart glasses, pagers, portable computers, and similar devices are all considered contraband for visitors unless specifically authorized by the DOC executive director.
Do not bring cigarettes, tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, vaping products, e-cigarettes, or vaping liquid. These items are contraband for visitors.
Outside food is not allowed in the visiting area, with one exception: baby food. If you want snacks or drinks during the visit, vending machines are available for visitors.
If you need prescription medication during the visit, bring only the amount you need for the length of the visit. It has to be in the original pharmacy-issued container with the pharmacy label attached.
Kids can visit, but the paperwork needs to be handled correctly. Minors must be listed on the visiting application of the legal guardian (or immediate family member) who will accompany them. They do not count toward the twelve approved visitors. If someone other than a parent or legal guardian is bringing the child, the parent must complete Form 300-01F (Authorization for Minor Child Visitation). Depending on the situation, you may also need a copy of the child's birth certificate or an adoption/guardianship order.
Expect paperwork at the door. All visitors must complete AR Form 300-01B, Offender Visitor Consent to Search Authorization, when entering the facility. That form stays on file for one year, then you will need to fill out a new one.
Hand stamp: At facilities housing medium or higher custody offenders, visitors (except children under three) will have the back of their right hand stamped with an ultraviolet marker before entry.
Previsit Checklist
- ✓ Submit a copy of a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with your visiting application, and make sure the ID address matches your application address
- ✓ Bring your actual physical photo ID to check in if you are 18+, no photocopies or digital IDs
- ✓ Dress to the CDOC dress code (no revealing tops, no spaghetti straps, no sagging pants, knee-length minimum for skirts/dresses, no shorts or cargo pants, shoes required)
- ✓ Keep jewelry to what’s allowed (wedding ring set, one religious medallion, medical alert badges)
- ✓ Leave portable electronic communication devices behind unless specifically authorized (phones, tablets, smart glasses, pagers, portable computers)
- ✓ Do not bring cigarettes, tobacco, tobacco substitutes, vaping products, e-cigarettes, or vaping liquid
- ✓ Do not bring outside food (baby food is the exception); use vending machines if you need snacks
- ✓ If you need prescription meds, bring only what you need for the visit, in the pharmacy-issued container with the pharmacy label
- ✓ If minors are visiting, list them on the legal guardian’s application (they do not count toward the twelve approved visitors)
- ✓ If someone other than the parent/legal guardian is bringing a minor, have Form 300-01F completed by the parent, and be ready with a birth certificate or guardianship/adoption order as needed
- ✓ Be ready to complete AR Form 300-01B (Offender Visitor Consent to Search Authorization) at entry
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